Federal Prison Consulting · Case File: Yours

Advice from someone who actually served the time.

I navigated the federal system as an inmate. Today I consult alongside people who work — and have worked — inside the Bureau of Prisons. You get both sides of the fence, at roughly half what the big-name firms charge.

Request a free 15-minute intake call   See pricing
ConsultantJonathan West
Experience5+ years federal time
NetworkFormer wardens & BOP staff
FocusFederal core · state coaching
Intake callFree · we call you back fast
Typical savings vs. market40–60%
00 · Who you're hiring

Jonathan West. Five years inside, studied like a job.

I served over five years in the federal system after being convicted as a party to an international MDMA trafficking conspiracy. I'm not hiding that — it's the credential. From the first day, I treated the sentence like fieldwork: I studied every case outcome around me, interviewed every type of inmate, and ended up serving as a diplomat between gangs and groups across the yard. You learn how the system actually runs when you're the one keeping the peace in it.

Since release, I've kept and built that network on the other side of the fence. I consult regularly with former wardens, administrators, and staff at every level of the BOP and the federal court system, so my advice tracks the system as it is today — not as it was when I walked out. That's how we help clients pursue lateral transfers, resolve medical and housing issues, fight grievances, land at the right facility close to family, qualify for lower security, and position for every sentence-reduction program the law allows.

01 · What we handle

From indictment to release date.

Transfers & facility placement

Want a specific facility from the start, or trying to move closer to family? We help you build the strongest possible case for your preferred designation up front — and for lateral or hardship transfers once you're inside, through proper BOP channels and our staff network. Placement is never guaranteed, but most defendants never even make the right request the right way.

Attorney-fee strategy

Haven't retained counsel yet? Before you sign anything, we'll show you how to evaluate federal defense attorneys — fee structures, who actually tries cases, where the bloat hides. Clients routinely tell us this alone saved them tens of thousands in legal fees.

Pre-sentencing strategy

PSR interview preparation, mitigation narrative, character letter coordination, and plea-context review so nothing in your file works against you later.

Designation & placement

Security-point scoring, facility strategy, and self-surrender guidance aimed at the lowest appropriate custody level — ideally a camp near your family.

RDAP & First Step Act

Eligibility analysis and positioning for the programs that can take a year or more off your sentence and move you to home confinement sooner.

Prison preparation

What day one actually looks like. Commissary, phones, email, visits, politics, health care, staying out of trouble — from someone who lived it, not read about it.

In-custody support

Ongoing contact through CorrLinks and calls. Transfers, disciplinary issues, medical advocacy, and a point of contact for your family on the outside.

Prison readiness coaching — federal or state

Facing state time, or just want the survival fundamentals? Culture, politics, gang dynamics, day-one protocol, staying safe, keeping your family sane — the things that are true behind any wall, taught by someone who kept the peace between every group on a federal yard. State-specific procedural questions get routed through our network of state-system veterans.

Reentry planning

Halfway house and home confinement strategy, supervised release expectations, and rebuilding from day one out.

02 · Pricing

The market charges $2,500–$25,000. We don't.

Same scope of work the big-name firms sell — without the celebrity-case markup. Every engagement starts with a free intake call so you only pay if we can actually help.

Readiness Coaching

$750

Federal or state · flat fee

  • Two 60-minute coaching sessions
  • Prison culture & survival fundamentals
  • Day-one protocol & staying safe
  • Family preparation basics
  • State procedural questions routed to our state-system network
Start Readiness Coaching

Essentials

$1,250

Market rate: $2,500–$5,000

  • Two 90-minute strategy sessions
  • Security-point calculation & review
  • Prison-prep playbook for your facility type
  • 30 days of email follow-up
Start with Essentials

Full Preparation

$3,500

Market rate: $5,000–$10,000

  • Everything in Essentials
  • PSR interview preparation
  • Designation & self-surrender strategy
  • RDAP / First Step Act positioning
  • Family briefing session
  • Unlimited contact through self-surrender
Start Full Preparation

Through the Door

$7,500

Market rate: $10,000–$25,000+

  • Everything in Full Preparation
  • Attorney-fee strategy session (before you retain counsel)
  • In-custody support for the full sentence
  • Transfer, discipline & medical advocacy
  • Dedicated family point of contact
  • Reentry & halfway-house planning
Start Through the Door
ServiceTypical marketInside Counsel
Initial consultation$350/hrFree (15 min)
Prison readiness coaching (federal or state)$1,500–$2,500$750 flat
Hourly consulting$195–$550/hr$125/hr
Prison preparation package$5,000–$6,000$3,500
Comprehensive / full-sentence$10,000–$25,000+$7,500

Market figures reflect publicly listed rates from established federal prison consulting firms as of 2026. Payment plans available.

03 · How it works

A straight line through a crooked system.

Free intake call

Fifteen minutes. You tell us where your case stands; we tell you honestly whether and how we can help.

Case review & plan

We map your timeline — PSR, sentencing, designation, surrender — and flag every decision point that affects where and how long you serve.

Preparation

Strategy sessions, document prep, and coordination with your attorney. You walk into sentencing and surrender knowing exactly what to expect.

Ongoing support

Depending on your package, we stay with you — and your family — through the sentence and out the other side.

04 · Questions

Asked on nearly every intake call.

Do you handle state cases or only federal?

Our full-service packages are federal — that's where our lived experience and BOP network run deepest, and we won't pretend otherwise. For state cases, we offer Prison Readiness Coaching ($750 flat): the culture, politics, and survival fundamentals that apply inside any system, plus state-specific guidance through our network where we have it.

Can you really save me money on attorney fees?

If you haven't retained counsel yet, often yes — significantly. Federal defense fees vary wildly for the same work, and most defendants have no way to evaluate what they're being quoted. We walk you through fee structures, what your case actually requires, and how to compare candidates. We don't refer you to a specific attorney and we take nothing from any law firm — the advice is independent, which is exactly why it works.

Are you attorneys?

No, and we don't replace yours. We work alongside your defense attorney on everything that happens after the legal strategy: the PSR, designation, prison life, and programs that reduce time served. Attorneys regularly refer clients to us for exactly this reason.

When should I hire a consultant?

The earlier the better — ideally right after indictment or once a plea looks likely. Some of the biggest opportunities (PSR framing, RDAP positioning) close before sentencing.

Is everything confidential?

Yes. Every engagement is covered by a confidentiality agreement, and the intake call is private.

Why are you cheaper than the well-known firms?

No media team, no celebrity-case overhead, no office tower. The same work, priced for people who are already facing legal fees and restitution.

Do you work with families?

Constantly. Families often have more questions than the client. Family briefings are built into our Full Preparation and Through the Door packages.

06 · Free guide

The Federal Self-Surrender Checklist.

If you have a report date coming, this is where to start: what to handle 6–8 weeks out, the week before, and on report day itself — written from lived experience. Enter your email and we'll send it over, free.

We'll email it to you and may follow up once. We never sell your information.

05 · Intake

Request your free intake call.

Fill this out and we'll call you back fast — usually within hours, same business day. Tell us where things stand and the best time to reach you. Confidential, no obligation. Because we work by callback, your details go straight to Jonathan, not a call center.